I Had To
by JMolover13
Summary: Prompt from Tumblr: Dr. Remy Hadley turns up in Storybrooke looking for Dr. Cameron who has gone back to her birth name Emma Swan. Thirteen/Swan…


**AN: I know that the timeline doesn't match up from when Allison was married and when Emma had her baby… but I had to throw it in there…**

Remy knew she shouldn't have done it, but she couldn't help herself… She had to find her. She knew that it wrong to go searching for her ex-girlfriend… But… She was a woman in love damn it. And she knew Allison felt the same. She knew she did. She just didn't understand why she up and left… What had she been doing? Why did she leave Princeton?

It had been two years. Two years of e-mailing, trying to get her to e-mail back… knowing that she had read them… She put the tags on them, asking Allison to click 'yes' so that she knew she got it. She had gotten all of twelve real live responses… long ones…. Novel type responses telling her that she was making it harder and harder to stay away because she did love her—hence Remy's knowing that Allison did and that she wasn't crazy—and that she wanted to be with her, but this was something she had to do on her own for right now… She had to figure out who she was.

Well… Remy didn't have all the damn time in the world and she was ready for Allison to stop running from something good. Because what they had… for once in their miserable fucking lives… it was good. It would be great if Allison would just let her in completely… let her in like she had let Allison in.

So, Remy had contacted Lucas. She needed to see her… She needed to touch her and feel her again… She was starting to tremble more and more and she decided that it was time for Allison to make up her mind for real, in front of her on if they were ever going to really be together so that she could either move on or finally be with the girl of her dreams for the little time her mind had left.

She went to Boston and found her apartment… working with House, she learned how to break and enter without looking like she had broken and entered… none of this stuff was hers. She looked around and found mail. It was a man's name. So she called Lucas back and told him that he sucked at finding her girl.

He said that that was the last place Allison Marie Cameron was registered. He told her that he found something interesting though. During the time there, Allison never left the apartment building, but soon after she got there, an Emma Swan began signing the month-by-month lease… and there were no papers signaling a change of address for Allison.

"Listen." Lucas said into the phone, "I'm not saying that this Emma chick and Allison are together… like the way you were together… But maybe they are together… Hold on…" Lucas leaned forward as he looked at his screen.

"What? What is it?" Remy asked as she sat in a 24-hour diner on the highway.

"I hacked into security cameras in the town that this Emma chick moved to… She's there Thirteen… Hold on, you're gonna get footage sent to you in about a minute…"

"Where is it?" Remy asked as she threw a few bills on the table and started up her car's GPS.

"It's a place called Storybrooke, Maine…. It's not even on the map. I'll send the direct coordinates to your car."

"Thanks Lucas." Remy hung up her phone and clicked on the pictures he sent her… that was Allison alright. She started her car and began heading to… Storybrooke, Maine.

~0~0~0~0~0~

After a long drive, a restless sleep at a Motel 8, a shower, a change of clothes and then what felt like an even longer drive, she arrived at this epitome of all small towns. She drove into the square and saw the diner that looked familiar. She looked down at her phone and saw that it was the same place the security camera had captured Allison walk out of multiple times, multiple days.

She got out of her Audi and walked into the diner. Everyone stopped when she walked in. She pretended they didn't, and walked to the diner and sat on the stool furthest away from everyone.

Remy looked up as this girl in a small shirt and even smaller shorts walked up to her behind the diner. She had bright red lips and long brunette hair, "Hi…" She said with a peppy grin.

Remy nodded her head, smiled and barely spoke, "Hi."

"You just passing through or are you looking for something?" The girl asked.

Remy could tell that this girl was a lot more intuitive than anything else. She decided not to lie because this girl would obviously know Allison by now, "Someone actually…" the brunette cocked her head and was about to ask who, but Remy continued, "Her name is Dr. Alli—"

"Remy?" a tentative, almost scared, but completely excited, relieved voice asked from behind her.

She spun around, "Allison!" Remy didn't know what to do.

"Allison?" Ruby asked as she stared at Emma, who had gotten up from her and Mary Margaret's table.

"Ruby!" Allison/Emma realized that Ruby was still standing there.

"Emma?" a quiet, curious, motherly voice came from behind her.

"Mary Margaret." The blonde looked at her best friend.

"Emma?" Remy asked confused.

The chime of the door alerted the presence of another person, and before Allison/Emma could answer, "Emma." Was heard again.

"Regina." Allison/Emma looked up at the mother of her son.

"Regina?" Remy asked, completely confused.

Regina's attention then focused on the back of this new person's head, "Emma?" She obviously wanted to know this new person.

The door chimed again, signaling another entrance, "Emma!" Henry said excitedly as he walked into the diner over to her.

"Henry!" Emma was almost relieved for the distraction as he jumped into her awaiting arms.

"Henry." Regina looked at him.

"Mom!" Henry smiled as he recognized the person he just ran passed and ran back over to her.

"Henry?" Remy looked over to him then back to Allison/Emma, "Allison?" She wanted to know who these people were…and why she was being called 'Emma.'

"Allison?" Regina, and everyone else was baffled by this other name.

"Emma?" Henry asked wanting to know who Remy was.

"Emma?" Remy was back to asking again herself.

"Emma…" Emma/Allison nodded gesturing to herself staring Remy in the eyes. She looked at Remy in that way that always made Remy forgive her even when she wasn't sure why she was mad, "Remy?" The blonde reached forward, wanting to touch her put wasn't sure.

"Al…"

"Allison?" Regina asked, obviously needing to get down to business quickly… just as she was getting along with the blonde, she had to go have some separate life on her…

Emma/Allison looked up at the mother of her child. She knew exactly what she was thinking and she knew she had to explain something… eventually…quickly—eventually quickly doesn't make too much sense, but it did to her at the time in the moment at least. She stared at Regina then over to Mary Margaret and then at Ruby… then she looked down, "Allison…" She nodded, again gesturing to herself as she looked up at Remy.

Ruby placed her hand on Remy's forearm, "Remy?" She asked saucily.

"Remy…" The only sitting brunette confirmed.

"Ruby." She placed her hand out for Remy to take, but she placed it daintily… in a way that was obvious of her flirtatious intention.

"RUBY!" Emma/Allison glared at her. She stepped up to Remy in a jealous, protective way.

"OKAY!" Regina said in her best 'Madam Mayor/Mom' voice that she'd ever produced, "Can we all stop saying each other's names and someone start explaining just what is going on here?"

Everyone stared at the blonde in the group of brunette's, "Yes." She sighed and shlumped forward and sat down next to Remy, "I was born Emma Swan…" She looks up at Remy, "After I got out of the system I decided to change my name to Allison Cameron, try and get a fresh start on life… I met this guy and we got married, but he died…" She looked over to Henry, "We had been together before he died and he gave me one of the best gifts I could have ever had…" She touched her son's face, "But I wasn't ready… I couldn't have ever been ready… So, I gave you up for adoption… I gave you up to this woman that I knew would be able to take care of you…" She looked over to Regina.

"I blazed through the rest of school and became an M.D. And then I began work for Dr. House…" She looked at Remy, "He's a real son of a bitch but he knows his stuff… and then I worked in the ER for a while before I left completely and moved to Boston…" She held Remy's stare, "I met Remy during my time in ER… she was the knew me… the knew girl on House's team that he actually liked to challenge." She finally reached over and took her hand. "I changed my name back because I felt that I had abandoned my real self… and I didn't know how to tell you….. So, I did what I do best… I ran." She shrugged. "And since I changed my name again, I decided to change occupation… I bounty hunted for a stint…" She looked over to Henry, "And then this boy, this ten year old came to my doorstep and told me that he was my son…" She shrugged, "So I moved out here…" She looked back to Remy.

"So… where does she fit into al of this?" Mary Margaret asked, "You said you met her…. Does that mean best friend?" She asked.

"No Mary Margaret…" Emma smiled and laughed at her friend's innocence, "She was my lover… Is?"

"Is?" Remy perked up in her seat. She felt her hand begin to tremble and crossed her arms in effort to hide it.

"I mean… yeah…?" Emma looked at her seriously.

"I came here to get you back… to make you finally pick…" Remy looked down and barely got the last part, "I mean, it's not like I have that much time… I need to know if I can spend it with the woman I love or not…" Emma cocked her head at Remy's words and saw the loosening of her arms to show her the tremble.

Emma ran her hand over Remy's trembling arm, "Rem…" She leaned forward and hugged her.

"Wait…" Mary Margaret stepped forward and entered into the conversation again, "I'm sorry to pry, but what do you mean when you say you don't have that much time?"

"I've got eight years maybe to live." Remy said plainly. She looked up to the blonde to gauge her reaction. "I have Huntington's chorea which is a degenerative disease." She looked down and saw Henry's scared confusion, "Henry?" He looked straight at her, "You want to know what that means really?" He nodded, "It means that I'm going to lose control of my body and my mind eventually… it's already started." She showed him her arm. She immediately picked up how much he meant to Allison as soon as he walked into the diner… and she felt he deserved to understand what was going to happen to her… especially if she was going to be around for a while.

"My son doesn't need to know everything about you… Remy." Regina looked at her with disdain, "His mind is quite imaginative… the last thing he needs is someone telling that."

"I wonder why he lets his mind get away with him so often." Remy said sarcastically, "Could it be that you are so much of a bitch that he doesn't like dealing?"

Regina gave her a faux smile then turned to the blonde, "Emma? We're going to need to talk about _this_" She gestured to Remy, "further."

"I know, Regina… And we will, but right now, I need to talk to her…" She put her hand on Remy's and pulled her up, then looked at her son, "Can we reschedule for tomorrow, kid?"

"Of course Emma…" He looked back over to Remy, "I'm sorry you're gonna die…" Remy gave a small, sad laugh at this as she gave him a questioning look, "It's just… Emma obviously loves you… I wish you had your happily ever after."

Remy knit her brows at his wording and started to turn to Emma, but she was against her ear, "He has this thing with Fairytales… It's a long story, just go with it." She said quickly.

"Well, Henry… I wish I had more time with her too." She smiled at him as she pulled along and out side the diner.

"That is so sad…" Mary Margaret said as she slumped into Remy's abandoned stool.

"Indeed…" Regina felt sympathetic for the younger mother of her son as she thought about how Daniel was taken away from her.

Emma and Remy got to Emma and Mary Margaret's apartment. She sat Remy on the couch and looked at Remy cautiously as she sat next to her tentatively. "I didn't know how to tell you…"

"I don't know how you would have either, Sweets…" Remy looked at her as she noticed the tremble end. "So…" She looked at the blonde into her eyes, "Emma, huh?" She asked as she let her hands trail up Emma's arms.

Emma sighed in a blissful relief and gave Remy that smile that Remy just adored. She nodded her head, "Yes, Emma… Swan." She fell back so she was on her back lengthwise on the couch and Remy was hovering over her.

"Emma Swan. Emma Swan." She tried the name on her lips, "What's your middle name?"

"Don't have one… I was found on the side of the road with a blanket that said Emma and a piece of paper with my full name… there was no middle name…" She shrugged.

"Emma Sexy-as-hell Swan…?" Remy asked as she looked at her goofily.

"Remy! It's been two years and you think you can get away with all that again?"

"Of course… I'm your lobster… I can get away with pretty much anything…" Remy kissed her for the first time.

The kiss was new and brilliant at first, then the two women melted into an all too familiar rhythm until Emma stopped her, "MM!" She pushed Remy up, "Hold on!" She moved her arm around her own back and pulled her gun from her then set it on the table.

"What the hell is that?" Remy asked as she stared at it.

"It's my gun, baby… It's a job requirement for me… I'm the Sherriff baby."

"The Sherriff baby?" Remy looked up at Emma who nodded, "That is sexy as hell." She dove into her neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." She wrapped her legs around Remy tightly, "You found me."

"I had to…"


End file.
